Chapter 6

  Graham stood on the far side of the stone courtyard across from his Master. Out of reach but still a respectable distance. Graham wore the same battered armor he had received from his Master at the start of his training: A battered chest plate that covered most of his torso, stopping just above his navel, a set of leg guards that protected his shins, a set of vambraces that covered his forearms, and a faceless helmet that allowed his ears free. His Master wore his characteristic orange robe that he always wore and was currently poised with his paws clasped behind his back and feet together. The orange robe contrasted heavily with his charcoal colored fur that had begun graying around his eyes and nose. Several other students and Fleur were on the side of the two Mousefolk that were currently staring at one another, waiting for the other to make the first move, signalling the beginning of the fight.

  Graham steadied his breath in an effort to calm his pounding heart. This was the final lesson he would receive from his Master. If he were to pass the Alliance test, that is. Sword in paw, Graham dropped his right foot back, entering a battle stance that had his shield at the ready in front of him and his sword readied for a strike.

  “I see, it seems you'll wait for me to make the first move then. So be it.”

  The Master unclasped his paws from behind his back and drew the longsword he carried from its sheath, tossing it to the side. Squatting into a ready position, Graham barely had time to register the sword already approaching his neck. What the–

  Graham raised his shield and deflected the strike just in time. What was that? One second he was dozens of feet from me and then he wasn’t! Was that magic?

  His Master smiled as his strike was deflected. “Good.” He followed up with a horizontal cross cut aimed for Graham’s torso. Jumping backwards, Graham narrowly avoided the strike, clearly panicked at the pace of the combat so far. “Don’t get overwhelmed. Relax. But also focus. Take deep breaths.” The Master continued an onslaught of strikes against Graham, who blocked and deflected all of them with a crazed look on his face.

  “And exactly how am I supposed to do that?” Graham exclaimed, dodging underneath a spinning slash that would’ve taken an ear.

  “If you can complain, you can focus. Fight back!”

  Graham blocked a few more strikes before he finally looked a bit more surefooted. He was starting to get the rhythm and made the mistake of letting a small smile appear on his face.

  The Master took that as a challenge and adjusted the tempo, mixing in lightning quick slashes with a couple of delayed heavy blows to Graham’s shield. Cuts started appearing on Graham’s upper arms that weren’t quite covered by the vambraces he wore and on his exposed face.

  Sidestepping a lunge from his Master, Graham used his shield to deliver a blow to his Master’s unprotected side, sending him reeling and off-balanced.

  Having finally gotten himself an opening, Graham leapt onto the offensive. Their swords clashed and sparks flew as blows were blocked, parried, and deflected, none finding purchase on the other. The Master never let Graham get too close, using his longer sword to maintain the distance between them. The Master suddenly lunged forward with a stab aimed at Graham’s chest. Bringing up his shield to block the would-be devastating blow, the Master’s sword suddenly changed directions in a flourish, scoring a sizable gash on Graham’s stomach, right where his armor stopped near his waist.

  Grunting and clutching the new wound with his shield, Graham backed off, clenching his teeth while he regained his composure. I need to close the gap. I can’t beat his reach.

  The Master only gave him a slight respite before resuming his advance, his expression hardened and unreadable. Is he planning on killing me here and now if I can’t get him to yield?

  Graham’s resolve cracked a bit seeing the expression on his Master’s face. He took a look at the blood on his paw from the cut on his stomach. What should I do?

  “Don’t think, just act!” Fleur’s voice came from the sidelines. Graham looked and saw her wearing a determined expression, unlike the one of fear that she had that time when he fought Hould. Even though the Master was ten times better than Hould, Fleur still had full confidence in him.

  The Master dashed forward into an overhead strike and Graham, trusting his instincts, took two steps forward rather than backwards to receive the blow. The Master’s eyes widened a bit in surprise as the blow was stopped short by Graham’s shield arm and he brought his sword down and cut through the Master’s robe from his collarbone down to his opposite hip. The Master quickly retreated, inspecting the new gash that now adorned his torso. No blood appeared, as the Master was wearing a sort of chainmail underneath his robe.

  “Well done, Graham. But we’re not through yet. Prepare yourself.”

  What followed almost appeared as a dance of steel as the two circled one another, matching each other’s footwork, exchanging blows as the melody of clashing swords filled the courtyard. A high slash by the Master was ducked under by Graham, who spun into a slash aimed at the Master’s calf. In response, the Master angles his leg guard to force the blow to deflect, priming his other leg for a solid roundhouse kick to Graham’s sword shoulder that sends him spinning onto the ground. Sensing the follow-up strike, Graham threw his shield arm up and behind him to stop the sudden stab at his back. The tip of the blade slid past his shield, catching Graham on his cheek. Sliding in closer to his Master from the ground, he delivered a swift punch to his Master’s torso, scoring a decent grunt of pain from his Master but also injuring his hand in the process.

  The two separated from each other to reset their footing. Graham suddenly perked up a bit as he got an idea from reflecting on that last engagement. Seeing his student’s sudden decisiveness, he smiled proudly, fully intending to spring whatever trap his student had come up with.

  Graham winced as he once again felt his side. The bleeding wasn’t stopping. This is bad. I have to end this soon. Graham stepped forward, intending to not waste the limited time he had. He stabbed and slashed forward, but his blows were parried and deflected, the Master having noticed his more sluggish movements and content to let him swing himself to defeat. Graham feinted a slash from the left before bringing his sword back into a stab. The Master side stepped and countered with a stab of his own. Seeing the point aimed at the spot underneath his armor again, Graham contorted his body, forming his body into a ‘C’ as the tip of the sword slid against his armor, lightly catching his exposed side. Wincing but committing to the act, Graham stepped forward along the length of the blade, once more closing the distance between himself and his opponent. Then, locking his shield arm down and around the blade, he kept the Master from being able to retreat without abandoning his weapon. Instead of the look of surprise he had last time, the Master only had a smile on his face as he watched Graham’s counter movements.

  Sliding along the blade’s edge and further injuring himself, Graham brought his sword around in a slash that would’ve decapitated the Master if it continued. Graham stopped the blade just shy of his Master’s neck, the both of them panting.

  “That’s…my…win…” Graham panted out before his eyes rolled backward and fell to the ground, exhausted from the loss of blood.

  “Indeed it was, young Northtail. Indeed it was.” The Master said proudly to the unconscious form of Graham. He looked at his student proudly for a moment with a large grin on his face before he knelt down to inspect his student. The students on the sidelines erupted in a series of shock and cheers for their senior student. Fleur quickly ran up and began to assess his injuries, sparing the Master a couple of angry glances as she got to work healing him. The Master chuckled to himself at the gesture. She can’t help herself, it seems. Even knowing this was a spar.

  __

  Graham’s consciousness wavered. He caught glimpses of large, long ears and whiffs of tea and herbs. He could hear a fire crackling as his senses finally came back and he opened his eyes to see the roof of his Master’s house above him. He looked over and could see Fleur brewing a pot of tea over the fire. His Master sat contentedly in the corner, not a scratch on him.

  His injuries still throbbed a bit despite being healed. But he won. He actually won. He smiled as he returned his vision to the roof of the house, reflecting on the fight with his Master.

  “Ah you’re awake. Good. Fleur, my dear, could you help him sit up?”

  “I’ll get him, old Mouse. Wouldn’t want you to strain yourself now would we?”

  The old Mouse chuckled before turning his attention back to Graham. “I must say. I’m proud of you, Graham. No student of mine has been able to thoroughly beat me in that way in quite some time.”

  “Thorough? What part of this shouts ‘thorough’?” Graham gestured to himself laying in bed, his body still covered in bandages and wracked with pain and soreness even though any outward wounds had closed already.

  “You were facing a stronger opponent and you turned your disadvantage into an advantage you could exploit. You analyzed the situation at hand, accounting even for the difference in weapons between us, and devised a strategy that took that into account. It was a very well fought battle. You should be proud of yourself.”

  Graham studied the bed sheets that still covered him intently, absorbing what his Master was telling him. He clenched the sheets in his hand and broke into a grin. He actually won!

  “But don’t let it get to your head. You still have a long way to go. There were several openings you presented that I could have exploited. And don’t forget. We were facing each other on equal terms. If you meet an enemy who is willing and able to include magic as part of their arsenal, a whole new world of fighting opens up. Which is why you must learn magic sooner rather than later. You must keep practicing as often as you can. Your life may depend on it.”

  “But Master, how many Warrior-types actually use magic? Since it’s so difficult to learn there can’t be that many right?”

  “Most veteran Soldiers and Warriors can use some enhancement magic. Though few master the magic necessary to truly call themselves a Spellsword, or any equivalent. To be clear, I don’t expect you to reach that level, but I do expect you to be able to give anyone a run for their money. I would expect nothing less from one of my students.”

  Graham nodded and was quiet for a moment before suddenly looking up with a panicked expression.

  “Can Ferals use magic too?”

  Having pulled the teapot from the fire, Fleur began pouring cups of tea for all 3 of them. Clearly listening intently to the answer the Master would provide.

  “That, I do not know. What I know of them is that they truly are creatures the same as you and I. However it seems that something has gone terribly wrong with them. That investigation is ongoing, so unfortunately we know very little. But what you should know is this: Predators can use magic. In fact, they’re innately talented at magic. They’re able to manipulate their Spirit Energy in ways we Mousefolk and other woodland creatures can not. It’s why even one Predator is dangerous for even a full squad of Mousefolk Soldiers.”

  “Yea but when’s the last time a Predator has even been spotted this far North? Let alone North of the wall?”

  “True, it has been some time. But they’re known to slip through the cracks of the Woodland Alliance now and again. You must remain vigilant. Remember to look and listen for the signs.”

  “I will, Master. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve taught me.” Graham bowed his head in his Master’s direction.

  “Nonsense, dear boy. I took you in as a student because I saw you had potential. All I did was nurture you from a small seed into the flourishing flower that you are today.”

  Fleur snorted at Graham being called a flower and he shot her a pointed look. She handed him a steaming cup of the tea, which smelled of roots and sweet berries. A knock suddenly came at the door, and a younger student of the master admitted himself. He was a small, young Rabbit who was entirely light gray, the color of a thundercloud. Everyone called him Stormy because of that, much to his dismay.

  “Master? You asked me to let you know when people started showing up in front of City Hall for the test. The first ones just started gathering.”

  Graham suddenly thanked Fleur in his mind for being as good a healer as she was. If he had to spend more time recovering, he might’ve missed the test. But he felt pretty good overall, even if he was a little stiff.

  “Thank you, Stormy. You may return to your daily training.” Stormy gave a quick nod, not seeming to mind the nickname coming from his Master.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  The Master rose from his chair, a small grunt of age escaping him. “Well then. It seems your true journey is upon you. I wish you best of luck, Graham Northtail. Perhaps the next time we meet, you will be able to address me by my name, and not as Master.”

  “I don’t think I could ever reach that level.” Graham chuckled out while scratching his head. “But I’ll try.” He nodded resolutely.

  Graham swung his legs off of the bed, and with help from Fleur, stood up and got his armor back on, which had been noticeably cleaned and polished since the duel.

  “Come on, flower boy. We’ve got work to do.”

  Graham rolled his eyes but couldn’t stop the grin from appearing on his face.

  __

  “Is this all of them?” The Mayor turned away from the crowd. A gathering of chattering Mousefolk and Rabbits were in Burrow's square to volunteer for the Woodland Alliance.

  The Mouse Scribe jumped at the sudden attention, then quickly counted the names on his clipboard.

  “Yes, Mayor. Everyone who put their names in with me the other day are accounted for plus a couple of extras.”

  The Mayor looked around at the crowd, satisfied with the results of his speech, though he secretly wished he had gotten twice this number. The more he sent, the better he would look.

  “Magnificent news! Then we can begin in earnest!” Knight Captain Rurik shouted from several feet away as he entered the square, with Plumbase nowhere to be seen.

  At the loud outburst, the crowd of gathered recruits looked up from their conversations to see the arrival of the esteemed Knight Captain. As always, he was sporting his shining plate mail and perfectly trimmed mustache. Graham looked over from where he was standing with Fleur and noted that the Knight Captain seemed to have even more pep in his step if that was possible.

  “Now then, recruits! Form a line if you please! Let’s have a look at you!”

  At this, the Mayor and his assistant bowed to Rurik briefly before re-entering City Hall, no doubt with more pressing matters to attend to.

  The Knight Captain’s words left no room for argument. The chattering crowd quickly shuffled into a line, standing shoulder to shoulder. More than 150 Mousefolk and Rabbits had shown up from the Burrow and the surrounding villages. Graham looked around nervously, his paws sweating in anticipation with a little smidge of fear mixed in.

  “Hmm, yes. Hmm, indeed. I see, I see. Quite.” Rurik mumbled out loud as he walked down the line of recruits, personally inspecting each one as if they were fruit at a market sale. “Very well! We shall proceed!”

  “Wait, was that the test?” a yellow-furred mouse blurted out from down the line.

  “Of course not, little pine cone! I was merely judging if any of you weren’t capable of surviving the test. I’m happy to report that all of you possess at least some chance! Ha! Far better than some of the population we’ve visited so far!”

  A wave of mumbling went through the crowd at Rurik’s remark. Graham gulped.

  “E-e-excuse me, sir?” A meek white black spotted Rabbit raised his paw. Rurik, wearing his never ending smile, motioned for him to proceed.

  “What are we going to be doing, exactly? This isn’t like–” the Rabbit hesitated, “a tournament is it? Like where we have to fight each other?” The Rabbit worriedly eyed some of the recruits standing near him, in particular, one large Mouse Brute who wore his characteristic smirk of arrogance. Graham vaguely remembered that meek Rabbit from Honeypot Village. What was his name again?

  “No, my soft-spoken comrade in arms! It isn’t quite so barbaric as that. Instead, I will be breaking the lot of you into teams of 5. Then, you will be given an assignment. These assignments are just the kind of missions you’d actually receive as part of the Alliance. The test is for you to complete this assignment within the given time period.”

  “Hey, man, what’s the point in that? I mean, aren’t we just doing your dirty work?”

  Graham turned his head to find the Mouse who spoke out. It turns out, it was one of Hould’s cronies who decided to volunteer. Hould himself was here too, but the two other members of his little crew decided not to come. Figures. Hould’s friend was taller and thinner than Hould and Graham, and his dark fur was splotched with spots of light gray. He carried a spear in his hand and wore the standard issue breastplate that’s given to the Guards of the Burrow.

  “The point, dear fellow, is that I will not tolerate trash in my ranks, if you would excuse my frankness. There is no place for those who would flee at the first sign of danger, or refuse to follow my orders. Consider this a test to sort out those unworthy to call themselves a Soldier in the Woodland Alliance.” Rurik’s smile faded slightly as he gave his explanation.

  The line fell silent at his words. The reality of joining the Woodland Alliance settling in on some of the recruits.

  “Now! Break off into teams of 5 if you will! Choose wisely! Your lives just may depend on it!”

  The crowd slowly dispersed as everyone looked to each other to try and form groups. Everyone was still tense from what the Knight Captain said. Fleur and Graham stood off to the side, not quite sure who to approach. Who should we ask? They look nice…no they have 4 already. Hmm what about them? They could be–andddd they have 5. Graham started to get a little nervous as he looked around him, the anxiety building. Fleur placed a comforting paw on his back. She casually walked over and struck up a conversation with a couple of Mousefolk that were standing around. The Mousefolk looked over to where Graham was standing and back at Fleur before shaking their heads in apology and moving elsewhere.

  Graham steeled himself. He couldn’t let Fleur do all the work. He strode off and approached a group of 3 Rabbits that were standing together, anxiously looking around.

  “Hi there! Have you found a group yet? My friend, Fleur, and I are free!”

  “Well, actually we were just–”

  “Hey! Theo! We’re over here! Come on!”

  The brown Rabbit Graham was speaking to suddenly turned, seeing another group of 2 Rabbits standing there and waving, with smiles on their faces.

  “I’m really sorry! I hope you guys find someone. But our friends are waiting!”

  The young brown Rabbit gave a quick bow, nearly losing the arrows in his quiver, before scurrying off to join his friends. Graham gave a small sigh of defeat. On to the next, I guess.

  Graham looked around him in exasperation as he saw most of everyone had their teams. Though he did notice that one particular pair of Mousefolk were refusing all who advanced them. Hould and his friend seemed to be perfectly content tackling this thing themselves.

  Graham noticed Fleur walking through the crowd back towards him with a bit of a downtrodden look on her face.

  “It seems everyone has found their teams! Wonderful!”

  Fleur caught up with Graham, sadly shaking her head as she revealed her failure. Shrugging his shoulders a bit in defeat, he gave Fleur a comforting smile before turning to Knight Captain Rurik.

  “Sir, we still only have 2.” Graham raised his paw and waved at the Knight Captain.

  “Hmm? Is there anyone else who failed to find a group?”

  A few paws went into the air around the crowd. And upon inspection, it seemed like some were left out of their groups when multiple groups merged together, leaving stragglers.

  “By all means! Let us remedy the situation! Those without 5, please step forward!”

  A group of 8, including Fleur and Graham, stepped forward to the Knight Captain and into a line. Graham noticed the same black-spotted Rabbit that addressed the Knight Captain before in the line. He was one of the younger Rabbits of the village and one of the youngest that had shown up today. He carried a bow and quiver of arrows on his back, nervously gnawing on bits of a carrot that he had brought with him. Graham could see a sack of them hung at his side over his green tunic. Obviously, he had come prepared.

  Tracing his vision, Fleur saw the young Rabbit too and perked up a bit. “Oh! It’s one of Ms. Roxy’s helper Rabbits.” She said to Graham before calling out to him. “Heya, Stevie! What are you doing here?”

  Hearing Fleur’s voice, the Rabbit turned in confusion for a second before recognizing the one who called his name. “Fleur? Oh hey! It’s good to see you here! And…you too…I guess.” He muttered when he saw Graham standing next to her.

  “Come over here! You can join our team if you don’t have one!”

  “Oh. Sure.” He eyed Graham nervously. “If that’s ok?”

  “Fine with me. What’s your name again? I know I’ve seen you around.”

  “It’s Stevie. You mean you don’t remember–”

  “Splendid! There’ll be plenty of time for introductions later. Come over and join your new team, young carrot wrangler. So that gives you 3! Let’s see here…There’s you 5… Ah yes, you two in the back there! Do you have 5?”

  “Captain, I don’t need a team. My friend and I here can handle anything you throw at us.”

  Oh, Gods. Graham thought as he heard the Mouse’s voice. Please don’t have them join us. I’ll do anything! Graham prayed to any God he thought would listen.

  “Nonsense! That wouldn’t be in the spirit of the test! Grouping up is an order, recruits. So you two can come and join this party of 3 then.” Ignoring the protests coming from Hould and his friend, Rurik turned his attention back to the remaining recruits. “That leaves you 5. You’ll be a team. Teamwork triumphs again! Work well, recruits! This may be your forever team in the Alliance! Ha! Probably not, but the possibility exists! Now for your assignments!”

  “But Captain! These runts will just slow us down!” Hould walked far enough forward to finally lay eyes on who his new teammates were. “Scratch that, sir.” Hould looked at Rurik seriously. “They’ll get us all killed.”

  “Oh? And have you been on a mission with these 3 before?”

  “No, but–”

  “And have you worked with them before?”

  “No, sir, but I–”

  "Then there should be no issues then!” Rurik laughed as he walked over to another group to start handing out assignments.

  Hould clenched his paws and turned towards his new team, glaring daggers directly at Graham.

  “Well, if it isn’t the Northtail Rat, I’m surprised you showed up to this. You that eager to disgrace your family some more?”

  Graham clenched his teeth, biting back the insult he had prepared. Of all the Mousefolk and Rabbits, it had to be these two.

  “Can it, Hould. Having to look at you is bad enough, I’d rather not hear you too. Let’s just focus on the mission, not your little obsession with Graham.” Fleur’s response came swiftly before Graham had a chance to say anything. Hould glared at Fleur but didn’t respond.

  The last member of their group, Stevie, just looked even more nervous at the addition of Hould and his friend to their team. He pulled his bag of carrots a little closer to his chest.

  “Maybe I should, you know, go find another–” Stevie started slowly shuffling out of the group and tried to make a run for it.

  “Ohhhh no you don’t.” Fleur grabbed him by the back of his collar. “You’re with us now, got it?”

  Hould scoffed and rolled his eyes. His friend hadn’t said anything so far, just looking at Fleur with disdain for her attitude against Hould.

  Rurik had been walking to various groups and giving them their assignments. Now, he was approaching the group of 5 that had been made with the spares. Briefly, his eyes wandered to Graham’s group, assessing the situation that he had no doubt overheard, before turning to the group in front of him with a grin.

  “You 5 will be investigating a series of thefts at the Ottergrove Crossing to the South. You have 7 days to report back on the situation. Whether or not you solve the situation depends on your judgement and skills. Best of luck, recruits!”

  Graham could hear some groans and complaints coming from the group. “Just great. I didn’t bring any spare clothes. What if I get these wet?” “That’s what you’re worried about? Not the bandits? Or worse, the bugs?” “I think you need to sort out your priorities, dude.”

  Rurik turned away from the 5 still complaining amongst themselves and walked over to Graham’s group, who were still stewing in the awkward silence created by the new teammates’ tension.

  “Getting along splendidly already, I see!”

  No response was given for a moment as Graham looked back and forth at each member, still brooding in their own misfortunes. Graham stepped up and addressed the Knight Captain.

  “Sir, we’ll be ready for whatever you throw at us!” Graham announced proudly.

  “Ah, well said, lad. Tell me, what is your name?”

  “Graham Northtail, sir!”

  “Northtail?” Rurik looked at Graham from head to toe with an eyebrow raised. “Indeed, hm, yes, indeed. Magnificent. It’s a good thing I saved this assignment for last then. You 5 will be responsible for investigating the failed crop harvest here in the Northern Sunfields. I assume you have all heard of this rumor?”

  The 5 glanced at each other, with Graham and Fleur locking eyes and nodding.

  “Yes sir, we live in a village called Wheatbrook in the Sunfields. We heard the news from another neighboring village.”

  The other party members listened intently, clearly not having heard the rumor before.

  “Yes, our reports say that a village further to the north, a village called Stone Ear’s Bluff, recently discovered that an entire section of their crops had died. You are to go and investigate these happenings. You have 7 days to report back to the Burrow with your findings.”

  “We won’t let you down, sir!” Graham stood with a rigid posture and head held high to meet Rurik’s eyes.

  “Splendid, oh the youth of today. So much fire! I’m looking forward to the results of your investigations.” Rurik’s gaze lingered on Graham for a moment.

  Rurik returned to the front of the crowd of recruits, once more taking charge with his commanding voice.

  “Now then! You all have your assignments! Some of you have shorter time limits, and I assure you the time is selected appropriate to the task! Best of luck to you all! Dismissed!”

  Graham looked around at the crowd of recruits who had broken off and dispersed, some moving over to benches or nearby restaurants to discuss the planning for their assignment.

  “We leave in an hour. If you’re not ready by then. You get left behind.” Leaving no room for discussion, Hould and his friend scoffed at their team once more before turning and leaving the square.

  The city had started to wake up around him as Mouse and Rabbit alike made their way to their jobs. Some stopped and watched the gathering curiously before moving on, resolving to continue with their morning routines.

  Graham let out a slow and steady breath as he looked to the ceiling of the Burrow as the Spring morning sunlight trickled in. He wondered what his mother was doing right now. He pictured her humming in the garden as the Sunfields lit up with a golden glow from the sun. Graham’s shoulders tensed as he imagined what it could mean if he let her down. He’d come back. He wasn’t like his father.